The Reaper
by Miss Baby
Summary: The people of the small, coastal town of Flint's Landing came to know the sea as a cruel mistress. So when she claimed yet another ship during a terrible storm, nobody expected a lone, female survivor to wash ashore. Her past was clouded in mystery; her memories lost at sea. But as her secrets slowly resurfaced, one truth stood out among the unknown: someone was trying to kill her.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, I just use their creations to have my wicked way with them. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

 _ **Ladysharkey1 worked her magic on this chapter.**_

* * *

 _ **Thanks for joining me on this new adventure. It's another story that might be a little 'different' but I'm very excited to start sharing this one. People who have read more of my stories know that there's nearly always a method to my madness, so yes, there is definitely a reason why I'm writing an E/B romantic mystery in Alice's point of view. Chapters will be a little shorter on this one because right now, my job won't allow me much time to write and I really like to keep up with my weekly updates.**_

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 _ **Flint's Landing, North Carolina**_

 _ **1814**_

 **1**

When Alice Cullen left her home that morning, there was little to suggest that the day would turn out to be anything but ordinary. Walking her little Spaniel along the rugged coastal pathway, she would ruminate on life in general and the tedious loneliness of _her_ life in particular. Every morning her governess would scold her when she returned, claiming it was unbefitting a young lady of Alice's age to go out, gallivanting around God's green countryside unchaperoned.

Not that Alice cared much for the opinion of the old lady that their distant aunt had sent to care for her and her brother, Edward, after their parents had died in a vicious outbreak of typhoid fever some years back. Try as she might, Alice had never been able to live up to Mrs. Cope's very high standards of ladylike behavior.

And so, after exerting herself in any which way she could, Alice simply gave up.

There was too much life inside the young girl for it to be constrained inside the stifling bodice of society's norms. And, perhaps, there was too little of it in the elderly housekeeper to understand her young new charge.

So they were locked inside a vicious circle of constant struggle with Alice quietly escaping the house each morning. Mrs. Cope kept berating her when she got back and then the two of them would ignore one another as best as they could for the remainder of the day.

But this was not a day like any other.

A first hint of what was about to take place was given shortly after tea time, when the heavens suddenly burst open in the violent overture of a storm that could only be seen as close to the sea as the sleepy little coastal town of Flint's Landing. By the time Edward, the town's notary, came back, he was drenched to the bone.

Her brother's was face marred as he looked out at the sea; its angry waves rolling in high above the norm. "I sure hope nobody's out there," he sighed as he took the towel Mrs. Cope offered him.

But there was.

It was dark outside, the inhabitants of the cottage on the cliff long gone to bed, when Alice was awoken by the dull roar of cannon fire going off somewhere in the distance. It was soon followed by the toll of the church bells, calling all able-bodied men of the town down to the beach to see what could be done to save those in peril.

It wasn't the first time she had heard that sound.

Growing up by the coast, she had lived with both the beauty and the ugliness of the ocean. She'd seen its soft ripples lapping at the sunlit beach in the summer but she'd also seen it like she did that night: claiming the lives and goods of those who sought to navigate her.

"It's a large one," Mrs. Cope remarked as Alice joined her in the parlor, their eyes scanning the darkness for signs of the ship in trouble. "There! You can just see its masts rising up behind the waves."

Narrowing her eyes, Alice followed the direction her housekeeper was pointing in. "A schooner," she whispered, the moon outlining just enough of the vessel for her to recognize it. But what she also saw was that its crew still seemed to be fighting against the force of nature that was pulling them under, though it appeared to be a lost cause. "Those poor souls."

Mrs. Cope clutched her shawl closer around her body, warming her both against the chilly night and the cold dread of knowing that good men were probably losing their lives while they watched. "Do you think they will manage to save some of them?"

Alice shook her head. "The ship's too far out and with the angry waves…It would be madness to even try."

Out on the beach, they could see the people gathering; the men, rolling out the rescue boat as the women stood by and watched as transfixed as Alice and Mrs. Cope were as the horrible scene playing out in front of their eyes.

"Where is my brother?" Alice finally asked, not recognizing him among those gathered below.

Mrs. Cope frowned. "I haven't heard him go out."

"I cannot believe he's sleeping through this!" Alice cried. "Has he been raiding the spirits' cabinet again?" She sometimes worried about her brother. Ever since he'd taken over Mr. Banner's legal practice, his shoulders had become weighted with the load of all the secrets he had to keep. At times so much so that he had been known to indulge in more drink than was good for him. "It's strange," she added, "for he didn't seem all that downtrodden when he came home."

Turning on her heel, she dashed out of the parlor determined to find him and wake him up. Even if she had seen the look of disapproval Mrs. Cope sent her way, it would not have stopped her. Alice was both too close to her brother and too worried about his wellbeing to care about trifling matters like the impropriety of a woman dashing into a man's bedchamber—because, sister or not, that was quite unheard of.

Knocking on his door, she waited an appropriate amount of time before she turned the handle. Standing on the threshold between his room and the landing, however, the scene she witnessed was not what she expected.

Where she had thought she would see her brother, reclined on the bed in some kind of inebriated state—maybe even snoring like a log—his absence came as more of a shock.

His bed was empty.

Unslept in.

* * *

 _ **Thoughts?**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, I just use their creations to have my wicked way with them. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

 _ **Ladysharkey1 worked her magic on this one.**_

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 **2**

Alice was among the first to enter the beach that next morning. After a sleepless night filled with worry over the fate of both the poor sailors in peril on the sea and her strangely disappearing brother, she was glad to escape the house under the cover of dawn.

Mrs. Cope be damned.

She needed the fresh air to clear her head more than she needed to be a proper lady.

"Morning, miss!" Mr. Crowley, the town butcher greeted her, tipping his hat as she walked past him. "What dreadful business this is, ain't it?" Motioning his head at the different pieces of wreckage scattered across the sand, his lips pressed together in silent compassion for those who had went down with the ship. "I reckon my Tyler will lose some of his appetite for the navy when he sees this."

It was no secret that Mr. Crowley and his son had recently fallen out over the latter's choice in career. An only son, his father's hopes of being able to transfer the family business onto him and enjoy a well-deserved retirement had been dashed when young Tyler had boldly announced his intentions to enlist in the navy. It didn't surprise Alice one bit to find out his father still hoped Tyler would come to his senses, though Alice suspected his hope might be false.

"Is anything known about the fate of the crew?" Alice wanted to know, her eyes drawn out to the much calmer sea that kept spitting new evidence of the previous night's disaster onto the beach.

"No, miss." Mr. Crowley shook his head, his expression grim as he looked around him. "But I know we can all imagine what happened there…poor lads! Our boys tried to launch the rescue boat last night but the sea was just too rough…they would have died alongside the people they were trying to save." Crowley sighed. "You'd best steer clear of the shoreline," he went on to warn Alice. "When the sea claims a body, it's not a sight fit for a young lady's eyes."

Alice nodded, even though she had no desire to retreat just yet. As horrified as she was by the prospect of possibly coming across a body long gone from this world, she was simply too curious to back off. It was probably that part of her that her poor guardian was desperately trying to subdue which was bursting at the seams to know more about the tragedy that had taken place deep into the night.

Her heart broke as she walked passed the scattered debris, finding not only bits and pieces of the boat itself but also personal items such as a lonely shoe, floating on the whitecaps and a beautiful silver flask carrying an inscription that had faded to an almost illegible scribble. Alice pocketed that last item, in the hope her brother could help her return that very personal possession to the family of its former owner.

As the light grew, more and more people made their way to the shoreline as the crushed carcass of the ship became more and more visible in the distance, a small creak sheltering its sad remains. Not a lot of it was left, just a few of the thick, wooden ribs stood out from above the waterline; a stubborn plank still clinging to the otherwise naked frame.

A shudder ran down Alice's spine as she noticed how the mast was still mostly intact; an American flag still flying proudly from its top.

It must have been such a proud ship before it had met its doom.

The sea had made quick work of its destruction.

"It looks like its run ashore on Samson's bluff," someone noted as they all stood and watched the waves lap at the destroyed ship. Samson's bluff was a notorious stretch of the cliffs that surrounded their little bay. Rising up like a wall that protected the townsfolk from the sea, it was not so much the bluff itself that sailors from all around the world feared, but the scattered stacks in front of it, leading far out into the sea in a deadly pattern of hard unyielding rocks that had mangled many a ship before.

In former, much more lawless days, the cliff had been the base of a notorious gang of wreckers who shone false lights from the top of the cliff in order to lure merchant vessels with their valuable cargo to the bluffs and murder their crew as they looted the ship.

In time, as justice was restored to Flint's Landing, the ringleaders had been tried and hanged, their names long forgotten. It was rumored, however, that some of the good, law-abiding townsfolk were direct descendants from those criminals.

Another, an old, wind-weathered woman named Susan Lahote huffed. "It wouldn't have been the first ship to meet its doom. No wonder it's turning up in bits and pieces on the beach; those rocks are razor sharp."

"Look!" Alice gasped as saw a group of men slowly attempt to descend the steep cliff. "What are they doing?"

Susan sighed as she made the sign of the cross. "I think one of those pour souls washed ashore out there."

A chill ran down Alice's spine as she clasped her hand in front of her mouth. Suddenly the disaster was all so very real—much more so than it had been only a few moments ago when all she saw were a few scattered bits and pieces

As the small group of spectators on the beach stood spellbound by the horrific scene playing out in front of them, Alice recognized her brother as one of the first to reach the body. She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he was safe and sound.

As with everything, Edward's movements were precise as he descended the cliff at an extremely slow pace ensuring his footing was sound before he angled his body towards a spot where Alice could faintly make out a small discoloration in the otherwise grayish brown rocks.

"Something's going on," someone beside her spoke as Alice noticed how her brother, who had crouched beside the victim, was motioning upwards at the men above him.

Alice heart beat a little faster as she watched her beau, Jasper Whitlock, rapidly make his descent. As he was the town doctor this could probably only mean one thing.

"By, Jove!" Susan, obviously coming to the same conclusion, exclaimed, "One of them must be alive!"

It was all Alice needed to hear before she rushed away, forgetting about all the lessons imprinted into her soul about unladylike behavior as she sped up the path. She was gasping wildly, her cheeks stained deep red and her hair fanning out around her face by the time she finally reached them. But most importantly: she was on time.

As the men hoisted up a makeshift stretcher, Alice came to a sudden stop, her ragged breaths too loud in the shocked silence that had fallen as soon as the stretcher carrying the survivor had reached the top.

"It's a woman!" one of the rescuers finally cried, as they carefully deposited their precious cargo on the ground.

Alice could see the porcelain skin covered by mattered strands of rich brown hair and the wet, dark blue dress clinging to her body.

It was, indeed, a woman.

A beautiful one, as far as Alice could see.

And, judging by the fine cut of her clothes and the flawless bits of skin she could see, it was a rich woman, too.

* * *

 _ **Thoughts?**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, I just use their creations to have my wicked way with them. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

 _ **Ladysharkey1 worked her magic on this one.**_

* * *

 **3**

A small crowd of mostly men from the town had gathered on top of the cliff. The way they were gawking at the poor, unconscious girl gave Alice the creeps. She recognized a few of the faces, though most of them only fleetingly. They came from the area near the docks, a neighborhood known for having a somewhat loser take on moral behavior.

They sure weren't the kind of men Alice would like to have standing around her bedside when she was feeling out of sorts.

"Is she…" one of them asked.

"I think she's breathing," another man, a particularly uncouth fisherman who had already been told off for trying to meddle with some of the local girls, chimed in. "How about I go and check?"

There was something about the way he said those words along with the leering look in his eyes that gave Alice strength where normally she would have coiled away from such a large congregation of men.

"Stand back," she ordered as she rushed forward and kneeled next to the girl. "Wait for the doctor to reach the surface again. He'll know what to do."

Mercifully, Jasper poked his head over the edge of the cliff, his eyes widening when he saw the girl he intended to marry facing off against a mob of men from the lesser parts of town. "Alice?"

"Thank God you're here, Dr. Whitlock!" Alice breathed a sigh of release, some of the tension she'd been building up inside of her floated away as her betrothed came to stand beside her. "The men over here were very helpful in offering their assistance to this poor soul but I told them they'd better wait for your professional assessment," she explained to him.

Jasper nodded, scratching the back of his head as he regained his bearings after a difficult climb up the cliffs. "You did well." Turning to the men, he narrowed his eyes. "Thanks for helping us out, lads, but I think we'll take it from here. I'd better let you get back to the docks before your captains start missing you."

His words, meant as a warning, didn't miss the target as the first started to scurry off, tipping his hat at the doctor just as Alice saw her brother climb over the edge of the cliffs in the same spot Jasper had just appeared.

"How is she doing, doc?" he called out, his eyes widening when he, too, recognized the company they'd gathered. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice harboring a mild accusation as he rubbed his wary eyes. "Does Mrs. Cope even know you're here?"

Alice shrugged morosely. "I believe she must have found out by now." She hated how her brother always took Mrs. Cope's side. It wasn't like she was doing anything wrong or making a spectacle out of herself. She only wanted just a little bit more freedom than the constraints society allowed her.

"Alice!" Edward groaned. He knew he was facing another long, tedious conversation with an angry, complaining housekeeper when he got back home. It was just what he didn't need after a sleepless night and a growing feeling of guilt in the pit of his stomach. "What on earth are we going to do with you?"

In his heart of hearts, Edward Cullen loved his little sister's boisterous character and unbridled energy even if it gave him grey hairs long before his time. Sometimes it was as if she didn't even care about the reputation she was starting to garner among the townsfolk for being a wild child. It was a good thing that Doctor Whitlock didn't seem to care one way or another as long as she stayed away from the more dubious parts of town.

The doctor, meanwhile, had set to work, his focus intense as he assessed the unconscious woman. "She's breathing…but barely. We have to warm her up soon or she might still slip out of our reach."

"Take her to our home," Alice offered, much to her brother's shock.

"Alice!" Edward scolded, grabbing his sister's arm as he dragged her struggling small frame off to the side for a serious conversation.

Frowning, Alice turned to her brother. "Have you lost your senses, brother? There's a woman in need of our help. How can you even doubt that taking her in and offering her a warm bed to heal can ever be a wrong decision?"

"We have no idea she is or what she was doing on that ship!" Edward countered. "She might have been a…" Edward blushed, realizing at the last moment that the word he was about to utter wasn't one that was particularly suited for the ears of his innocent little sister. "Well," he cleared his throat and lowered his voice, "she might have a less than savory reputation. Besides, don't you think she might be better placed under the doctor's roof?"

"You mean unchaperoned under the roof of an unmarried doctor?" Alice snapped. "Seriously, brother? And what is Doctor Whitlock going to do when he makes his rounds? Yank his cook out of the kitchen or ask his valet to stand guard over her? Or do you expect him to pull in some unsuspecting person off the street to watch her?"

"Alice!" Edward groaned again, rubbing his tired eyes. Knowing his sister like he did, he already knew the battle had been lost.

"Besides," Alice was already walking back in victory, "I'm pretty sure she isn't, as you say, a 'woman of a less than savory reputation'. Just look at her clothes! They're slightly tattered but I recognize a quality fabric and supreme finish when I see it. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say she's from the better parts of this world, not the poorer!"

Alice didn't miss the strange look that passed between her brother and her beau. It was a look of understanding, one that let her know she'd won the battle even before the final blows had been landed, but there was more to it.

Guilt.

Secrecy.

And a shock that went deeper than finding a shipwrecked woman at the base of the cliffs.

Alice didn't know how to place that look but, determined to find out more about it, she filed it away in her mind for future research as she got back to the matter in hand. "She's coming with us, Edward, and that's final." Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Alice stood her ground against her much taller and far more mature brother.

Just like she had ever since she was five years of age.

And just like every time since then, Edward found that neither his height nor his advantage in years matched up to Alice's immeasurable determination.

"Fine, then!" He huffed. "But I pity the darn fool that's ever going to take you off my hands!" Chuckling in Jasper's direction, he shook his head. Both men knew it wouldn't be too long until Alice exchanged the hilltop house overlooking the beach for the slightly grander and at present eerily empty house in the center of town. Jasper only had to establish himself a bit further as the town's medical doctor before he could fulfill the promise of marriage he had made to Alice a few months back.

"If the two of you are done, I'd like to take the poor miss out of here and put her in a warm bed," Jasper offered, having remained on the fringes of the little family spat. "You know…before she freezes to death."

Alice blushed, stepping aside as she let the men load the still unconscious female onto a stretcher. There she had been, publicly arguing with her brother like some fishwife in the market when a dangerously ill woman lay on the cold, hard ground right in front of her.

Her heart hurt for that poor girl.

Judging by her clothes and general demeanor, she seemed to be quite close to Alice in both age and social standing. It broke her heart to think how scared she must have been when the ship crashed against the underwater rocks and started to break.

Who was she? And where had she been going before her journey had so abruptly and savagely come to an end?

Alice hoped that the girl would recover enough to tell her tale.

And maybe become the friend she had longed for, for such a long time.

* * *

 _ **Thoughts?**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, I just use their creations to have my wicked way with them. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

 _ **Ladysharkey1 worked her magic on this one.**_

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 **4**

As Alice could have expected, Mrs. Cope wasn't exactly thrilled when she found out about the Cullen's new houseguest.

"You can't go picking up strange people from the streets, Miss Alice!" she scolded as she scrutinized Alice's somewhat windswept appearance. "And I haven't even started about the fact that, once again, you absconded unchaperoned and without leaving so much as a note to indicate where you off to!"

Alice sighed as she fought the desire to roll her eyes. "While I understand your reservations, I couldn't very well leave her lying there as she slowly caught her death from the cold. What kind of Christian would that make me, Mrs. Cope?" she added in a sugary sweet voice.

Mrs. Cope huffed, wondering once more why she persisted in staying in the service of a young woman who always seemed to do the exact opposite of what she was told. And with a brother who didn't seem to mind that his little sister was running rampant all over town.

"Alice?" Edward asked, coming down from upstairs, where he had deposited their guest in one of the extra bedrooms. "Can I entrust her to your care while I go out and meet with a client? Dr. Whitlock will be by shortly to assess her condition. He just had to run by his clinic to fetch his bag."

Alice nodded, making sure she didn't race up the stairs like she wanted to. She'd been on the bad side of Mrs. Cope's tolerance for her shenanigans too often to know when not to push her luck. Not that Mrs. Cope seemed to take note of her effort. No, deeming her obstinate young charge sufficiently scolded, she'd targeted Edward and his haggard appearance.

Chuckling slightly, Alice listened as her brother finally admitted defeat and trudged up the stairs in search of a change of clothes. If he had thought he could slip out of the house unnoticed, he had another thing coming. Alice could have told him it took far more than a smile to get passed their housekeeper unnoticed. After all, it was a skill she had perfected over many, tiresome months.

"Now you know what it feels like, brother dear," she jested as Edward brushed past her on the landing—his face as tempestuous as the storm that had raged the day before.

"Go take care of your patient, Alice," Edward grumbled.

Suddenly remembering that his bed wasn't slept in the night before, Alice turned and fixed her brother with an inquisitive gaze. "Where were you last night, anyway?"

"The beach. What did you think?" He didn't elaborate as he fled into his room and quickly closed the door behind him. Though where his haste could have explained his behavior, there was no hiding the look in his eyes just before he'd managed to hide it.

Shock and guilt.

Sighing, Alice tried to shake off the growing feeling of unease as she entered the guest bedroom. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that both her brother and the man she had every intention of marrying someday, were involved in some sort of unsavory business.

And her gut feeling told her that the poor woman in front of her, tucked in warmly with a blanket that used to belong to Alice's mother, was somehow involved as well.

If only she knew how.

"Who _are_ you?" she whispered as she carefully lifted the blanket.

Of course, her patient didn't answer. She just lay there, shivering slightly and still completely lost to the world.

Alice jumped as, from out of nowhere, Mrs. Cope's voice rang out behind her. "At least she looks like she comes from some half-decent part of society."

"That's what made me offer up our home," Alice confessed. "I know that had it been me in her position, I would wish for some decent, well-respected family to offer me some kindness as well."

Mrs. Cope sighed, thus admitting defeat, though Alice suspected the older woman would rather eat her stockings than outwardly yield to Alice's superior logic. "You'd better fetch one of your old nightgowns," she ordered the younger woman. "If we don't get her out of those wet things and into a warm, dry bed, she'll soon be beyond our care."

For once, Alice did what she was told and quite happily too. There was something about the young woman that made Alice want to help her. As she assisted her housekeeper undress her new charge and made sure she was dry and covered in time for the doctor's arrival, her sympathy only grew with each gruesome bruise the poor unconscious woman's body revealed.

"It's a nasty business, being shipwrecked." Mrs. Cope sighed, quickly covering the shivering body with a few layers of sheets and blankets as the scullery maid set to the task of lighting the fireplace.

Alice nodded, though that licking flame of fear that licked at her spine grew in intensity with every second that had passed since the schooner had run aground. For Alice had heard enough tales about the unfortunate souls that had washed up on the beaches near Flint's Landing to know that while some of the bruises on the unknown woman's body could be explained by the ferocious forces of rocks and surf, others could not.

And as Jasper arrived and examined his newest patient while the two women stood guard against anything untoward, her suspicions only stood to be confirmed.

"Now that her body is starting to warm up, the effects of being cold and wet for God knows how long are starting to become apparent," the doctor concluded, putting the tools of his trade back into the leather doctor's bag. "She's starting to run a fever already and I suspect that in the coming hours, her situation may worsen ever further."

"What are her chances, doctor?" the ever pragmatic Mrs. Cope asked.

"It's too early to tell," the doctor had to admit. "Keep her covered as much as you can and wipe her forehead with a cool cloth when she starts to sweat. If you can, try to get some fluids—water or maybe some light broth—into her." Sighing, he shook his head as he clasped the lock of his bag shut. "All now depends on her strength and determination."

"Thank you, Doctor Whitlock." Mrs. Cope nodded, outwardly calm while Alice was increasingly worried about her mysterious castaway.

"I will be by in a couple of hours to see if there is anything more I can do," Jasper added. "If her condition changes, either for the better or worse, please have someone send for me."

Mrs. Cope fussed over her new patient as Alice walked the doctor to the door. The diversion of having someone to care for, made the housekeeper turn a blind eye to a few unsupervised moments between the two lovebirds.

"Alice." Jasper stopped her on the stairs, his eyes worried and intense as he grabbed her arms with both his hands. "I want you to be on your guard."

Alice nodded, though she wasn't sure why. "What's the matter?"

"Did you see the bruises on her neck when you were changing her out of her wet clothes?" Jasper asked as, mindful of watchful eyes as they continued to move down the stairs.

Alice nodded. "They seemed a little strange to me, very unlike the kind of injuries one would expect to come from being shipwrecked.

"You're right." Jasper let out a deep breath as he retrieved his hat and coat from the spot near the door where he'd left it and opened the front door.

"What does that mean, Jasper?" Alice pressed, forgoing proper etiquette as her anxiety took over.

His face was grim, his eyes anxious as they scanned the street outside the house. "It means that someone tried to kill her."

* * *

 _ **Thoughts?**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, I just use their creations to have my wicked way with them. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

 _ **Ladysharkey1 worked her magic on this one.**_

* * *

 **5**

To say Alice was startled when she learned of Jasper's revelation would have been the understatement of the century.

If she had felt pity for the poor woman before, she felt it more acutely then than ever. But apart from that, she had to admit that she was also a bit scared.

What had happened on that ship before it sank?

What if, whoever had tried to hurt her, was still looking for her?

"Alice, is that you?" Mrs. Cope called out as soon as Alice had reached the upstairs landing again.

Shaking her worries off, Alice re-entered the room with an invigorated determination to her patient. "Yes, Mrs. Cope?"

"I assume you're going to take care of our new guest?" The sentence, though voiced as a question was, in fact, anything but. "Between the cooking, cleaning, and trying to find you whenever you decide to abscond again, I have more than my hands full."

"Don't worry, I will make sure she is cared for." Alice reassured her housekeeper, wondering once again who was really in charge of their house: the people who owned it, or the housekeeper they employed.

It was true that Mrs. Cope's task wasn't exactly limited to keeping the house in good order. She had been hired by their aunt soon after Alice and Edward's parents had died in a sudden, but fierce, outbreak of disease to help the orphaned Cullen children find their way in the world. At first, Aunt Catherine had wanted to take Alice and Edward—who had both been underage—back with her to New York, and sell the house to set the children up for life. However, after protest unparalleled in its ferocity, she had decided that the next best thing would be to make sure the two orphans would be taken care of in their own, well-known environment.

Which was how Mrs. Cope, who more than made up for her lack of good humor, by being a steady and reliable in their lives.

But even if the older woman hadn't instructed her, there was no way Alice was ever going to forsake her new charge. For some reason she felt a really strong, unexplainable connection to the nameless woman she had only just met. She had no trouble devoting her free time to nurse her back to health.

"Well, at least it will keep you from sneaking off again! And God knows that would be a mighty gift indeed!" Mrs. Cope muttered before she left the room to go do whatever it was she did while Alice was normally planning her next outing.

Alice smiled as she straightened the quilt that covered her new friend. "You'll have to forgive Mrs. Cope," she spoke, going on a gut feeling that it would somehow reassure the unconscious woman to hear a friendly voice, even if she might not understand what was being said to her. "Displeasure appears to be her standard reaction to everything. She barks worse than she bites, though."

Brushing a few of the brown hairs away from the resting woman's face, Alice went on, "You look a little better than you did this morning. Apparently some dry clothes and a warm bed work miracles." Chuckling, she added, "I have to admit, I feel a little crazy, talking to you like this…I mean, I don't even know your name! Still, I think you'd rather have me sit here, babbling on like a madwoman, than be here all on your own."

Alice sighed, tears burning in the corners at her eyes. "You've been alone for too long; washed up on the shore like a piece of driftwood…with nobody to care for you."

She must have been so afraid when she went into the water. "Well, I care." The already fragmented pieces of Alice's heart shattered again at the thought of it. She'd seen enough of the danger of the sea to have a very vivid image of the destruction it could wreak.

"If only you could wake up and tell us what happened." Again, Alice let out a deep sigh as she grabbed a book one of their very sporadic guests must have left on the bedside table.

"Shakespeare's Twelfth Night." Alice chuckled. "How oddly appropriate! Shall I call you _Viola_ until I know your real name?"

Alice smiled. "I think I shall. I hope you won't mind…it's just too strange to not be able to call you _anything_."

Not dwelling on the mysteries for any longer than she could afford, Alice started to read from the book; her attention soon captured by the play as she read silently by her patient's bedside until Doctor Whitlock returned for his afternoon visit.

Jasper was a little less optimistic than Alice had been when he saw his new patient again. Apparently _Viola's_ temperature was starting to rise beyond what it should have been, indicating that the young woman was developing a fever and God only knew what else.

"The next couple of hours will be critical," Jasper instructed Alice and a sour-looking Mrs. Cope. "For now, her condition seems stable enough—nothing to greatly alarm me, other than fever—but if that changes, I want someone to fetch me immediately."

Alice nodded. "I will keep watch tonight."

Mrs. Cope, slightly mollified by the fact that it wouldn't be her who was expected to sit up all night, proved that her experience as a housekeeper made her a valuable asset in the room as she ran some dishes and other home remedies she'd developed over the years past the good doctor.

Jasper listened patiently with that face that doctors around the world had honed through centuries of experience as he sifted out the good ideas from the useless and possibly bad ones. In the end, both agreed on how to properly supervise Alice in the care she offered to her newly-named patient.

"Unless anything changes and you need me throughout the night, I will be back first thing tomorrow morning," Jasper concluded, after they'd gone through every eventuality. "Now, I would like to speak with Edward, if he's in."

"I believe he is in his study," Mrs. Cope announced, motioning for Jasper to follow her. "If you'd like to follow me, Doctor, I'll bring you to him."

Alice smiled, her eyes full of admiration for the man she intended to marry. The respect he held within the town after such a short time of being the resident doctor was astounding as Alice had to admit that it sometimes left her a bit jealous. After all, she had been born and raised in Flint's Landing and knew virtually every single respectable person that walked its streets. Yet there were too many times when she felt completely alone and misunderstood.

It was true, she had to agree, that her buoyant, inquisitive character was perhaps a little ill-suited for a town that valued peace and tradition. She favored her mother—the equally vivacious Cynthia Brandon who had moved to Flint's Landing from the bustling city of New York to be with the man she loved. She had never really fit in, either, but for her mother, that had never been a big thing. She had her household, her children, a great love for her garden, and the fantastic scenery on her doorstep.

Alice, however, had wished for a friend long before she realized why most girls preferred not to play with her. It had made her wonder if perhaps her life would have been so much more fun if they had taken their aunt up on her offer of a New York life.

But no, lonely as she felt sometimes, Alice couldn't fathom giving up the rugged coastline with its howling winds and splendid vistas for a life amidst the thousands of other city dwellers.

As she sat by her patient's bedside, praying the fever would remain on the safe side as she dabbed _Viola's_ clammy forehead with a wet cloth, she couldn't suppress the feeling of hope she felt.

Hope at finding a friend in this strange, tormented girl that had washed up on their town's doorstep.

In the end, though, the challenge of staying awake for twenty-four hours proved to be a little too much for one who'd had as much excitement during that time as Alice. As the dark of night slowly started to pink with the first stirrings of dawn, she found herself nodding off for slight periods of time no matter how hard she tried to suppress her fatigue.

It was around about the fifth time that happened, though, that when she shocked awake from a brief cat nap, that her heart hammered from something else than just the guilt of forsaking her duty.

It was the realization that she and _Viola_ had an unexpected guest.

* * *

 _ **Thoughts?**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, I just use their creations to have my wicked way with them. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

 _ **Ladysharkey1 worked her magic on this one.**_

* * *

 _ ***smiles sheepishly* Hiya! Remember me? I'm so sorry for basically dropping off the face of the earth for the past few weeks. Being a teacher, exam season hit me harder and sooner than I reckoned and so I've been swamped with work for the past couple of weeks. I'll do my absolute best to write and update when I can but I fear that I will have to ask for a little more patience in the coming few weeks.**_

* * *

 **6**

"Edward!" Alice cried. "What on earth are you doing in this room?"

At least her brother had the good sense to look guilty, his ears staining a shade of pink Alice had not seen since she'd caught Edward trying to steal half a batch of cookies when their cook wasn't looking.

"I was merely coming to check on the two of you," Edward tried to recover himself, standing up a bit straighter as he molded his face into an accusing scowl. The lie in his words was as obvious as the silky, feminine blouse in his hands. It was clear that he had been up to something, though he persisted in his innocence as he added, "Which was a good thing, too, since you'd obviously fallen asleep when you should have kept watch."

"Don't try to change the subject," Alice snapped, standing her ground. "I might have dozed off but at least I'm not trying to lie to my little sister when it's plainly obvious you were going through _Viola's_ things!" Alice huffed, her outrage growing as her brother's guilt became more obvious.

"Who on earth is _Viola_?" Edward huffed.

"I have to call her something, don't I?" Alice snapped. "I couldn't keep calling her 'patient' or 'girl' all night…it's too impersonal. Oh, and once again: you're deflecting!"

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Edward stood there like an angry seven-year-old as he pouted. "I'm not!"

"Are to!" Alice cried, only stopping to check the force of her voice when the still sleeping _Viola_ let out a small sigh. "I saw you holding that blouse, brother! Have you no shame at all? What were you trying to find in there anyway?"

"Information about who she is?" Edward countered.

"I might have believed that had you told me so immediately after I asked." Alice's eyes narrowed as she studied her brother. "But with the way you've been beating around the bush, there's more at play here; too many lies floating around this place."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Edward's voice had risen about an octave, his hands messing up what had already been a wild mane of hair as he tried in vain the come up with a suitable exit strategy.

"The looks… _your_ secrecy?" Alice pressed. "There's something about this woman that has you frazzled and I _need_ to know why." She paused, breathless and frustrated as she looked her brother in the eye. "What's going on, Edward? Are you keeping secrets from me?"

Edward sighed. "No, Alice. I'm not keeping secrets. It's just…there's something about this shipwreck that has me on edge. And then this girl washes up on the beach…literally the only survivor and yet unable to tell us what happened?" Shaking his head, he kept his eyes trained to the floor as he let out another deep sigh before he went on, "I just want to know what we're up against here. So yes…that's why I was going through her things. I want some answers."

His voice might have been convincing but along the way, there had been too many strange things for Alice to actually believe his words. For the time being, she decided to let the matter drop, though, as she was both too tired and too confused to press her case. "Do you think Mrs. Cope might sit with her for a bit so that I could take a nap?" she wondered.

Edward chuckled, shaking his head. "You could always ask her but I think we both know her answer already."

Alice pouted, not really looking forward to another lecture from the housekeeper. "I think she might be too busy anyway."

"I could stop at the rectory on my way to the office and ask Mrs. McCarty if she could relieve you for a couple of hours." Edward suggested.

"Thanks, Edward." Alice took her brother's offer with no small amount of gratitude. Since morning had arrived, the strain of a sleepless night was really starting to wear on her. As was that of having to sit up in her daywear for longer than she believed she ever had. The constraints of the many layers of constrictive clothing were causing aches in places no woman should ever be sore.

Rosalie McCarty was perhaps the only woman in the town Alice considered her friend. They were about the same age and, though Rose had a much calmer character than Alice did, neither woman could ever remotely be called complacent. But where Alice had rebelled against being shut up indoors for most of her days, Rose had gone one step further and had questioned her entire place in society. Rose must have driven her parents half mad with her desire to be educated beyond the basic knowledge that was deemed appropriate for girls of her rank and station in society. She drove them even further to the brink of insanity when she insisted on putting those newfound accomplishments into practice by becoming a teacher.

A sigh of relief had sounded throughout the village when, much to the shock of everyone, she had fallen head over heels in love with Reverend Emmett McCarty about two hours after he'd arrived by train from distant New York. Though Alice had to admit she'd been a little disappointed to see Rose so settled down and focused on her growing family and her duties as the preacher's wife. Because to Alice, it had meant that she had lost her only ally in the town.

In spite of the busy life Alice knew she had, Rose arrived shortly after breakfast and promised to sit with _Viola_ long enough for Alice to take a good, long nap, change her clothes and have a short walk in the garden with her dog.

Invigorated, she returned to the sick room hours later to find Rose reading the book that Alice had left on the bedside table. "I understand her nickname now." Rose chuckled as she patted the cover of Shakespeare's _Twelfth Night_. "The doctor came by while you were out on your walk. It seems like she's moving in the right direction. She's much calmer already, so now all we need to do is wait for her fever to break and we can all breathe a little easier again." She smiled, looking kindly at the sleeping _Viola_. "Poor girl." She turned to her friend, "You're doing such a great job taking care of her, Alice."

"The thought of her laying all alone in Dr. Whitlock's practice all day broke my heart. At least here she's in a home."

"Well, if there's anything more I can do for you…" Rose trailed off, though Alice could sense her former friend was quite eager to get back to her children and her duties as the preacher's wife.

"Thank you so much, Rose," Alice pressed, hugging the other woman as she stood to leave. "You have no idea how much I appreciated what you did for me."

"As I said: any time," Rose insisted, hugging Alice tighter. "You know where I live."

With that, Alice settled in for another long evening and night by her patient's side. This time, though, she was much better prepared. She'd brought a book with her that was a slightly easier read than Shakespeare's words had been. If all else failed, she doubted whether or not she could keep her eyes open for even one more minute, and she even had her needlepoint to keep her focused.

There was little in the world Alice hated more than embroidery but in a situation like she found herself in, beggar could not be chooser. And there was only so much a woman could do while remaining seated by a patient's bedside.

By midnight, she had become so immersed in her book that when the piercing cry rang out through the room, Alice cried out along with it; her heart hammering so loudly she was afraid it could stop at any moment.

 _Viola_ was awake.

If her book hadn't been such an engrossing read, Alice might have noticed that throughout the night, her patient had started to show little signs of consciousness; a twitch in one of her fingers, a faint blink of an eye.

It was more than obvious that _Viola_ had regained consciousness, though, as she was sitting up and looking straight into Alice's startled eyes with a face that screamed fear and despair.

"The eyes!" The words came out a startled, anguished sob as poor _Viola_ clutched her throat. "Oh, my God… _his eyes_."

* * *

 _ **Thoughts?**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, I just use their creations to have my wicked way with them. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

 ** _Ladysharkey1 worked her magic on this one._**

* * *

 ** _My apologies, once again, for the lack in updates. The past few weeks have been no fun and at this moment I'm both physically and emotionally completely drained. The good news is that this are slowly starting to get better in RL and I have found myself drifting back to this story. I will do my utmost to resume my weekly updates as soon as I am able to._**

* * *

 **7**

 ** _A few days earlier._**

"Isabella!"

The trek to the door was as difficult as a journey of no more than five feet could ever be. It was like fighting against an invisible, erratic foe. Isabella had to hold on for dear life as her body was thrown from side to side with the sway of the bow. Still somehow she managed to waddle to the door with extreme nausea from a sea that seemed determined to kill her.

"Jacob?" She called out, her voice barely registering above the angry howls of the wind, the tormented creaking of the wood that kept them afloat and the desperate pounding of fists against the door. "Do you need my help?"

Isabella's chest felt tight with fear at the thought of having to go on deck in the wretched storm that was raging around them. At the earliest stirrings of the weather, she'd wisely retreated to her cabin below deck under the pretense of not wanting to be in anyone's way. As much as she longed for a breath of fresh air, it was pure survival instinct that kept her there. The disorienting rolling of the ship and the fact that she couldn't see out of the window were doing nothing to help with the seasickness that had set in as the storm grew in force.

"Can I come in?" Jacob insisted.

Sliding the lock back, Isabella was quick to acquiesce to his request. Though she did wonder why the captain of the ship would bother with his passenger when he should have been on deck trying to save the ship.

"I think you should start to prepare yourself for the worst." Jacob's face was grave as he met her gaze with a calm resolve Isabella hadn't deemed anyone capable of in the circumstances they found themselves in. "I'm so sorry, Isabella. I promised your father I'd get you safely to Washington, but…"

"You can't control the weather," Isabella soothed, though the realization that she was very likely to die that night was paralyzing her with fear. "Is there anything that can be done?"

Jacob shook his head. "That's what I came here to talk to you about. Normally I would put you in the dingy boat and set you out at sea. In this weather, the outlook would have been almost as bad as if you'd stayed on the ship but at least you'd have a fighting chance."

"Normally?" It was only then that Isabella picked up on something else lurking in the depth of Jacob Black's deep baritone voice.

Fear.

Jacob sigh was so deep and anguished that Isabella could still hear it over the howling winds and groaning of the ship as it was brought to its limits. Or maybe she just imagined it and it was the feeling of dread that made her hear the inaudible. "I'm quite sure someone has cut the ropes we'd use to launch the boat," he finally announced with a grim face. "In fact, I'm quite sure it's the same person as the one who sabotaged the rudder."

It was only in that moment that Isabella realized just how bleak their situation was. Sure, she had listened to his announcement of their dire circumstances but somehow she'd still had absolute faith in Captain Black's abilities to turn their fate around. After all, hadn't her father told her a million times that Jacob was the absolute best captain he'd ever come across?

And he knew, as a retired admiral of the king's navy himself.

But then, hearing that someone was trying to keep her father's friend from saving the day with his formidable steering abilities, all hope vanished. A captain could fight any sea or storm and beat the odds that were heavily stacked against him but to do so, he needed a ship that could follow his demands. With a disabled rudder all possible defenses against this storm had been disabled in its wake.

And without working equipment, they were utterly at the mercy of the sea.

They were doomed.

"What do I do?" she panted, the grip she had on the bolted down furniture was not only a matter of trying to keep herself on her feet but much more a desperate attempt to keep herself connected to this world when circumstances were conspiring to take her away from it.

"I know your father didn't put you on this ship just because he fancied a change of scenery for you," Jacob announced softly, looking over his shoulder before he went on. "I'm not asking you what business you have in the capitol or whose side your efforts were supposed to benefit, but I do hope your father had a backup plan in case his first attempt fell through."

Isabella sighed. "I think this was his only plan…his one and only chance to turn the tables."

Jacob nodded, his demeanor shifting as he steeled himself. "Well…it's all moot now, I suppose." His smile was sad, his calm exterior showed faint signs of cracks as a particularly rough wave jolted the ship. "Prepare yourself. Make sure you carry as much of what you can't or won't part with on your body before you join us on deck. I know the prospect isn't very appealing but when it comes to swimming, I'd much rather jump off the deck than try to worm my way through one of the portholes."

Bella nodded. "I'll see you soon, then. Thanks, Jacob, you've been a true friend to my family."

"I just wish I could have delivered you to Washington safe and sound." With a final nod and another sad smile, Jacob left her.

She would never see him again, even if she didn't know that, yet.

Jacob Black had been a friend of her father's for as long as both men could remember. And even though they'd gone on to serve different masters, their friendship had always remained. To Isabella, he was the only man to bring out the relaxed, playful side in her normally so serious father. And even though she, herself, hardly knew him, she trusted him with her life and she still did, for what it was worth.

It broke her heart to know that soon, they would all be dead.

But then again, her desire to live in a world where all the familiar faces and places that had shaped her existence had fallen away had never held that much appeal to her, either.

Quickly getting to work, Isabella put on what little jewelry she had brought with her on her trip. They were the items she could easily carry and though they weren't much, they would ensure she could survive for at least a few weeks if she was lucky enough to find her way out of the nightmare and trade them.

The sound of her cabin door opening didn't alarm her as much as it should but when she turned around, determined to let Jacob see she would greet her fate like only a Swan could, it weren't his familiar features that she saw.

It was a different man.

A very frightening one.

Probably the one Jacob had mentioned before…if the menacing glare he sent her was anything to go on.

It terrified the wits out of Isabella; the deep red fury that burned so vibrantly in his eyes that she could see it even in the black of night.

It seemed too big…too powerful to belong to their world.

His hands were outstretched towards her neck as he moved towards her, muttering under his breath.

"You will not succeed," he snarled, his hands grabbing at her as Isabella tried to run away from him. "You will die."

A wave sent Bella flying, his hands around her neck almost immediately as the life was slowly squeezed out of her. Looking up, the frenzy in those eyes was only growing as the madman came closer to executing his task.

They were the last, frightening thing she saw before an almighty crack rang out over the cacophony of water already engulfing them.

Then, darkness claimed her.

* * *

 ** _Thoughts?_**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, I just use their creations to have my wicked way with them. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

 _ **Ladysharkey1 worked her magic on this one.**_

* * *

 **8**

Alice's heart was raging like a hummingbird's wings as she sat and stared at the woman lying in bed. She wished she knew what to do; should she approach her and comfort her like her heart longed to do? Or should she follow her head and wait until her patient had calmed down?

In the end, the answer presented itself when the bedroom door flew open and her brother stormed into the room, his hands still tying the ropes of his dressing gown as his eyes scanned the scene in front of him. "What happened?"

"She woke up screaming," Alice explained as slowly but surely their patient started to come to her senses again.

Hesitantly, Alice reached out, her hand shaking as it touched the cool skin of _Viola's_ arm. "You're safe here," she spoke, as those big brown eyes turned towards Alice's. "The ship you were on wrecked right off the coast and you were washed ashore."

 _Viola_ nodded, though she didn't speak. She still looked terribly frightened, though, as her eyes flashed from Alice's face, to the wall, to Edward and then back to Alice with a pleading look that nearly broke Alice's heart.

"I'm Alice Cullen," she explained, interpreting the look as a desperate plea for more information about the strangers surrounding her. "The man you see on the other side of you is my brother, Edward. He's the town's notary, so most times when you see him, his head will be buried in some kind of stuffy book or ledger."

Her words had the desired effect as _Viola's_ lips curled up into a slight and very tense smile.

"We also have a housekeeper, Mrs. Cope, who'll pop in from time to time," Alice went on, continuing her light account of the household. "Don't worry: she may look perpetually sour but that doesn't mean she's mad at you. It's just who she is."

The brown-haired girlnodded, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as her shoulders sagged slightly.

Alice, interpreting that as another sign that her approach was working, went on. "Can you tell me your name? I've been calling you _Viola_ for the time being, seeing as I didn't know who you were."

Taking a deep breath, _Viola_ seemed to think really hard before her shoulders slumped in defeat. "I-I'm sorry," she spoke in an unsteady voice carrying a distinct British accent.

She looked so lost, sitting there in a strange bed, in an unfamiliar town so far from home. "It's okay. You've been through a lot in a short amount of time," Alice was quick to reassure her, thinking on her feet as she untangled the warm shawl she'd wrapped around her shoulders as she sat reading and draped it around the poor, shivering woman. "It'll come back to you, I hope. For now, is it okay if I keep calling you _Viola_?"

"I like that name," _Viola_ answered. "It sounds familiar."

"This is where I got it from," Alice explained, patting the cover of the abandoned Shakespeare play. "Maybe you've read it?"

That time when her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth, it wasn't fear that drove her little nervous trait. It was utter concentration as _Viola_ tried to access the locked parts of her brain. "I might have," she finally concluded, tucking a strand of silky brown hair behind her ear. Her voice gathered strength with every word she spoke, though the deadly pallor in her face portrayed that the woman was nowhere near okay. "I'm not sure, though. My head…my memories—it feels like that one high shelve in a bookcase that you cannot reach, even if you stand on the tips of your toes. You know which volumes are supposed to be on it and you're _so_ close you can almost touch them, but not quite."

"Do you remember anything?" Edward chimed in sharply, his voice so distant and matter-of-fact that it almost scared his sister.

It obviously had the same effect on their guest, as she cowered into the shawl Alice had wrapped around her, the shaking picking up again as she shook her head. "I know I was on a ship…and I was very frightened." Nervously pressing her lips together, she pulled the warm fabric closer around her shoulders. "I'm sorry I cannot recall anything specific."

Edward sighed, saying nothing else as he pushed away from the wall he had been leaning against and started to close the gap between himself and the two women. Alice's ayes narrowed, her frustration with her brother growing exponentially with every second his uncharacteristically rude behavior continued.

Before he could speak again, she stepped in. "I think we'd better let you get some more rest now, _Viola_ ," she spoke, her eyes glaring menacingly in her brother's direction in a direct challenge to oppose her and face her wrath. "You look like you're about to keel over and I'm quite sure that if Doctor Whitlock were here, he wouldn't want us to tire you more than absolutely necessary."

Edward huffed, his decency forsaking him to the point where he left the room without another word, leaving a frightened _Viola_ and an astonished Alice behind.

"You'll have to excuse my brother," Alice apologized on his behalf, inwardly fuming with rage. "I promise he was raised to be more courteous than this. He's just…been under a lot of pressure lately."

 _Viola_ nodded, blushing as she stifled a yawn.

Alice merely chuckled. "I suppose that is my cue to leave you in peace." Helping _Viola_ lie down again, she made sure her patient was securely tucked in and as comfortable as she could be given the pain she was in. "My room is right beside this one so if there is anything you need, just holler and I'm sure I'll hear you."

"Thank you, Alice," she spoke, her voice soft and loaded with gratitude. "You're so kind to me, even though you don't even know who I am."

"I know that had I been in your position, I would long for a friendly face and a warm, safe bed to rest in while I healed," Alice assured her. "As long as you're not some secret killer, I don't care who you are."

"I don't _think_ I am," _Viola_ muttered, already half asleep, "and even if I were, I haven't the slightest idea of how to procure an axe…let alone wield it, in my condition."

"I can rest assured then!" Alice chucked as she stood to leave, her eyes lingering on the already sleeping patient for a few more moments before she closed the door to the sickroom.

Steeling her shoulders, her anger took over as she marched down the stairs. Her own fatigue was all but forgotten as she stomped through the house to the study she assumed her brother had retreated to in order to sulk.

"What on earth is wrong with you?" she demanded as she barged in. "I'd like to think our mother did a better job of raising you than to bark at a poor girl who just awoke to find she's gone through a traumatic event she cannot even recall!"

Her brother remained perfectly calm, so perfectly that it made Alice all but explode with rage. Still, as he put his pen down and looked up into his sister's furious eyes, Alice saw a tiny flash of insecurity that was squashed as quickly as it arose. "Are you quite done, sister?" he wanted to know.

"Nowhere near, brother, but I need an answer more than I need to lecture you on matters I'm sure you understand all too well. Like common decency, for starters," Alice huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she stood her ground.

"Very well, then." Opening a drawer, Edward placed the ledger he had been working in before a scream from upstairs had disrupted his work before closing and locking it. Sighing, he folded his hands and sat back. "Do you have any idea of what goes on beyond the quiet, simple life in Flint's Landing?"

Alice looked at him in complete bewilderment. "What do you mean?"

"There's a war going on, Alice," Edward answered calmly. "And with her accent…"

"What are you saying, Edward?" Alice demanded after her brother had let his voice trail off suggestively.

Edward sighed, leaning slightly forward as his eyes flashed briefly toward the closed door before settling back on Alice. "She could be a spy."

* * *

 _ **Thoughts?**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, I just use their creations to have my wicked way with them. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

 _ **Ladysharkey1 worked her magic on this one.**_

* * *

 **9**

A spy.

As Alice lay, twisting and turning, in her bed that night, her mind was still trying to marry the image of the frail, sleeping woman next door to that of an evil spy, set upon them to gather information for the enemy that her brother had unexpectedly forced upon her.

She couldn't.

There was something about _Viola_ —something so innocent and pure—that just simply excluded any notion of wickedness. It was true that Alice didn't have that much to go on, after all, _Viola_ had been asleep during more than ninety percent of their acquaintance, but Alice had always had a very strong intuition.

And that awareness had rarely sent her in the wrong direction.

Still, as night slowly turned into day again, Alice did resign herself to heed some of her brother's warning. Determined as she was not to give up on her new friendship, or even take a step back, she would be careful with what she spoke of. Not that it meant she would have to limit herself greatly, as Alice had never really taken an interest in politics or any other subjects which would be deemed controversial. An outdoor child, she could go on for days through the best paths for spotting interesting plants or animals, ways to sneak out of the house, or even hide behind a bush to avoid being detected.

As for the big issues that went on outside of her little world: yes, she knew her country was at war with the English but that was about as far as things went. As long as the battle didn't disrupt the perfect quiet of Flint's Landing, she figured it was none of her business.

Little did she know, just how thickly it had already woven its way into her life.

The next morning, Alice rose with a new purpose. Determined as she was to resume her duties of caregiver and friend to _Viola_ , she also had another visit from Doctor Whitlock to look forward to. Alice had to admit that having a guest under their roof came with a whole set of advantages since it didn't just relieve her boredom, it also gave her the perfect excuse to spend more time with the man she loved.

And he didn't disappoint.

The chill of the morning had left the cutest blush on his cheeks as he shrugged out of his coat. "How is the patient doing?" he asked as Alice dutifully took his coat and preceded him up the stairs.

"She woke last night," Alice briefed him. "She was a little agitated and it appeared that she has lost her memory. She doesn't know who she is or how she got here."

"It's a good sign that she's awake," Jasper nodded. "The memory loss might be a bit alarming but I've heard of many cases in which patients manage to retrieve at least some of their memory over time as they recover from the trauma they sustained."

"What does she need?" Alice wanted to know, hoping that at least there was something she could do to help poor _Viola_ get her bearings back.

"Probably what you're doing right now," Jasper answered, taking her small hand in his. "Before I'm going to be able to tell you what else she needs, I'm probably going to have to see her first."

Alice blushed. She'd been so happy to get a few moments alone with her beau, even if it was just to discuss the progress of their patient, that she'd half-forgotten why he had come to pay them a visit. "I suppose you're right," she muttered, turning on her heels. "Follow me."

Jasper smiled, his feelings running parallel to those of his intended bride. "How did your brother react to these latest developments?"

"He thinks she's a spy because she spoke with an English accent," Alice answered, biting her bottom lip as her eyes flashed towards the closed door of the sick room. "Do you think she is?"

"She might be," Jasper, slightly more level-headed than Alice's tempestuous brother, answered. "But there might also be another perfectly acceptable reason why an English woman was traveling on an American schooner headed north."

Alice gasped. "It was an American ship?"

"One of the sailors at the dock told me. Parts of the ship are still washing up along the shore and from what I gather, a big chunk of the stern landed behind Butler's Cove," Alice nodded, knowing the little cove, just out of sight of their house, like the back of her hand. She'd spent many an afternoon hiding out there, playing with her little dog when she should have been immersed in her embroidery. "Apparently the flag slowly floated to shore like it was flying proudly in the wind."

"That's…rather disturbing in a way." Alice frowned, trying insert this new information at some spot in the huge puzzle of events that had started to take shape in her mind. Since she couldn't, she settled for showing the doctor into the sick room, where their patient was just waking up from a nap.

She looked scared when she saw yet another stranger enter her room and Alice could only sympathize with her. After all, when everything you knew had suddenly vanished, everything that happened around you was scary.

And, of course, her brother's behavior hadn't helped either.

"Good morning," Jasper was quick to put his patient's mind at ease. "My name is Jasper Whitlock and I'm the doctor who's been treating you these past days."

The patient nodded, her voice still wavering from the strain of fear and illness. "Good morning, Doctor Whitlock. I wish I could introduce myself as well but, unfortunately, I'll have to make do with the name Ms. Cullen was kind enough to give me." Her smile was tight as she put forward her hand. "I'm _Viola_...for now, at least."

"Well, _Viola_ , I am pleased to finally meet you," Jasper replied, his face taking on a look of professional concentration as he set to work, asking questions and using the tools of his trade to assess her condition while Alice sat back and supervised the visit.

"You have a mild case of pneumonia, just as I suspected yesterday," Jasper finally concluded as he placed his stethoscope back in his bag. "Coupled with the cuts and bruises you sustained in the accident, I would advise you to remain in bed for the time being and allow your body to heal."

 _Viola_ nodded, though judging from the look on her face, she didn't like the prospect of remaining idle.

"I will prescribe some medicine that will make you feel a little better," Jasper went on, "as well as a draught that will help you sleep, just in case the strain of your ordeal weighs a little too heavily on your mind for it to allow your body the rest it so desperately needs."

"When will I get my memory back?" she asked anxiously, her trembling hands clutching the sheets that covered the rest of her.

"I wish I could say." Jasper sighed, snapping the clutches of his doctor's bag shut. "I haven't witnessed many cases of amnesia and treated even less but, from what I've read, there's no telling when you will recover your lost memories, if ever."

"I might not get them back at all?" _Viola_ gasped as tears sprung up in the corners of her eyes. "You're saying I will never know who I am?"

"You're _Viola Cullen_ for now," Alice interceded. "At this moment, that's still a completely blank page but we'll get it filled with the best memories we can make together." Sitting down next to her new friend, Alice took her friend's hand and pressed it gently. "The past may be lost to you for now but that doesn't mean you have no future."

 _Viola_ smiled, but there was no actual joy behind the gesture. Alice could see that the little interaction they had, had already worn her out. Excusing herself, she escorted the doctor back downstairs, making use of the lack of supervision by stealing a kiss before he had to busy himself with his patient rounds again.

Therefore, it was no surprise that Alice was slightly distracted when she made her way back up the stairs to make sure her patient was okay. Had she not been, she might have picked up on a sound or something else to hasten her steps as she slowly made her journey back to the sick room.

Being as it was, she only noticed the sudden change the room had gone through when she was standing on the doorstep; her hand flying to her chest as her eyes widened with surprise at the unexpected sight that greeted her.

The bed was empty and the window open; its pristine white curtains blowing in the wind.

And her patient gone.

* * *

 _ **Thoughts?**_


	10. Chapter 10

Dear readers,

It has taken me ages to write this note because it's the last thing on earth I ever wanted to do when I started writing fanfiction. For a while now, I've been suffering from a really bad case of writer's block. Since late March, I have written maybe half a chapter at the most and most of what I managed to write wasn't any good. The words felt as forced as my effort to write them had been.

At first, I had every confidence that I would get back into the groove after a little while, when RL would calm down a little. I had faced similar hiccups a few times before, which is why I always have a stockpile of about ten chapters lined up to make sure I'm still able to stick to my weekly updates. As weeks progressed, though, things only got worse, to the point where I had to switch to updating biweekly instead of weekly. The guilt and disappointment I felt over that, coupled with my worries over the lingering writer's block weren't exactly helping either and so, after weeks of struggling to accept what was happening, I came to the point where I am right now: a point where I will regretfully have to put The Reaper on hiatus for an unforeseeable amount of time.

I feel so incredibly sad, guilty and disappointed with myself over having to make this decision but right now, if I force myself to look at a blank page and a blinking cursor any longer, I will start to hate the thing I used to love and I really want to prevent that. I still desperately want to finish this story and I hope that a few more weeks off will get me back into the groove. To make sure the same thing won't happen again, I will abstain from updating this story until I've written it in its entirety (I still need to write 15 or so chapters before it's done) so that I can guarantee that when I do pick up, I will be able to go back to updating every week.

I am so sorry to keep you all waiting but I hope you'll understand.

Miss B.


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